Whitworth Park

We walked through the park this morning en route to the Whitworth Art Gallery and we really liked it. Naturally this park can’t compare to certain other more-​beautiful parks we’ve visited in cities like London and NYC, but it’s still a lovely place.

This large park very near to University offers a green haven for students after a hard day at University, its a place to enjoy the greenery/​have a lie down/​have a stroll or have a kick about with mates. In the summer months its definitely favourable with students for BBQs and a socialise with friends out in the little bit of sunshine that Manchester receives.
Worth a visit on a good day!

After trekking around, looking for a place to relax, I saw this well-​sized park and figured it’ll do. And it did! Fairly decently sized, this is a good park right near the university that offers visitors the chance to choose from a plethora of space.
Thankfully, my visit did not coincide with hordes of screaming children, so I was able to stroll about and find a seat and enjoy a quiet park. Even sitting next to the playground I was free of yelling and gallivanting children. Although there was a random woman who walked up to the Hamster Wheel and decided she needed a workout (she seriously just walked in it for a couple minutes like it was a treadmill… see my photo for proof!).
Granted, this time of year the ground was a bit wet and muddy, but I think this could be a lovely space on a warm (and dry) day to just sit under a tree and breathe the fresh air.

As a non-​resident of Manchester, this is an A-​OK park which I am always willing to make the time for a scenic detour through.
There is a fair amount of seating, both park benches and picnic tables. As others have said, this is a fairly informal park, which I think works for the users, mainly students, local residents and some young families.
I find this corner of Manchester endearing. The approach on the traffic-​free cycle and footpath feels like a long, thin extension of Whitworth Park along the side of Oxford Road. Whitworth Gallery is a beautiful red brick building. And there is a bit of melting pot going on, a confluence of the ivory towers of the universities with gritty Rusholme.
Whitworth Gallery apparently has cash to splash on a huge extension — some kind of indoor space that feels like outdoors would be fun!

Whitworth Park is one of the loveliest parts of Manchester. It looks onto great views on the grand Victorian frontage of the hospital and boasts having the Whitworth Art Gallery nestled in its midst. The park is exceedingly verdant with lots of large old trees for shelter during the sunnier months and soft mounds and hills. I love the way it has a slightly unkempt ‘meadow’ feel to it as it is definitely not as manicured as some other parks and this adds to the tranquil beauty of it. Who doesn’t love the feel of lush long grass between their toes?
This is one of the loveliest places you can escape to for a read with your back against a tree trunk or some blissful sunbathing.

It’s a normal park. But yet it is very popular and home to many! I often visited this place during my first year in university since it was right next to the Whitworth Halls.
Lots and lots of trees and pretty flowers. Few statues and birds echoing through the greenery! A lovely day to laze with a rug on the velvet grass. During spring this place gets really busy with groups having barbeques and picnics! Pretty sight to see.
Also, this place is a great shortcut and a picturesque one too.

When I lived in Whitworth Park (the halls, for I am not a vagrant) my parents came to pick me up on the way up to visit family in the north-​east. Due to the fact that my Mum is always early and my Dad is always thrifty, they had brought a picnic and suggested eating it in the park. The problem was that it was March and not even a particularly warm or dry March, so we huddled up against each other and sat on a cold, graffitied bench and ate our tuna sarnies.
That was the only picnic I’ve eaten in Whitworth Park and pretty much the only time I’ve sat down in there. On the other occasions I was put off by the combination of tramps, builders and school kids, which made it hard to relax. I found it much more pleasant to sit in Whitworth Park (the halls) or walk for 20 minutes to Platt Fields Park.
But still, I quite like this park. It is a nice green break from the monotony of curry houses (if approaching from Rusholme direction) and university buildings (if approaching from other direction). I just want to know how they keep on putting the cone back on top of King James’ head. Anyone?

You know, I’ve got some love for this place. Sure, it’s not the most luxurious of parks, and yes, it does seem to have issues with drainage, but I’ll always remember those first year picnics, where we’d take a big mixing bowl and have Pimms in the park, every now and then popping over to the conveniently placed Tesco for more booze, more fags, more food, a pineapple. It was a simple innocent time. One day Shambolic Friend brought his Hot Indie Friend, and we all stared and fell a little in love. And then the Whitworth Park Poet came over and did us a poem about cats, and a poem about being sad.
Whitworth Park is great. Like all of Manchester, it’s full of character, and the potential for fun. For about 6 months, King Jimmy III was in possession of a rather fetching traffic cone hat, which would always give me a giggle.
With the Whitworth Art Gallery expanding into the park in the next couple of years, there’s real potential for the park to be made more of. But until then, just sit on bench (’til the ground dries out) and take a few minutes to just relax. It’s a good place for that, and for having your lunch with the Guardian.

Whitworth Park hardly deserves to be called a park, it’s just a small patch of ground with benches in. That’s it. Oh, and there are trees. Trees and benches. Add to that the fact that the ground becomes a swampy mire at the first hint of rain, as if the council employ people to churn the ground up at night, and you have what could be considered a moor rather than a park.
How did they go so wrong? It’s a prime little spot for a nice park, with room for a playground and other leisure areas. They had the perfect foundation, and then messed it up. There’s a lot of potential here, and I hope it’s recognised properly one day.

Whitworth Park is a quaint little spot; most people hardly notice it flying through oxford road on their way out of Manchester or towards the centre. The statue of King James 3^rd stands proudly as cyclists swarm past on the commute. If I were a statue though I’D love a spot like that, plenty to watch as the seasons fly by. But enough day dreaming and more of what you need to know.
Summer time sees the greatest activity in this little patch of green, often you buy some ice cream or cider then go and sit in the grass. Surrounded by like minded people it can be an enjoyable, some body’s always using shirts for posts and a kick around is regularly on the cards. Benches though belong to a breed that defends their perch vigorously. Lying in the grass listening to the chatter of the playground from the local school and the hiss of the magic buses on oxford road is one of the best afternoons in the city in my opinion. For the kids they’ve got a new play area too! Cheap and cheerful. Wouldn’t recommend for the winter though, this place can become a bit bleak.

Whitworth park is alright as parks go. It’s not beautiful, but it’s a nice green space in the city. Pretty good for a game of football. Good to jog around, but it’s surrounded by not-​the-​nicest areas of Manchester, so I wouldn’t really want to go there late at night

This park has little to offer besides open green space. Popular with students during the summer due to it’s location between the uni and student-​friendly ares of Rusholme and Manchester. The noise from Oxford Road means this place is far from peaceful and it’s definately not a good idea to walk through here at night.